Little Moments
by AkM1321
Summary: "Do you think it's always gonna be like this San?"
1. The Minor Fall, The Major Lift

"Do you think it's always gonna be like this San?"

They're lying on the couch in a tangle of cheer sweatpant-clad limbs with the remnants of their regular "Takeout Tuesdays" on the coffee table. Brittany can never really decide between the deep fried wontons and the crab Rangoon and the truth is, Santana really doesn't like Chinese.

What Santana does like is watching Brittany lick soy sauce from the corners of her mouth. She especially likes when Brittany tosses her head back laughing after each of them read their fortune cookies with the words "in bed" tacked on to the end.

Santana gets "Allow compassion to guide your decisions" …in bed. Sometimes it's scary how perfect they work out that way. Britt's is "A soft voice may be awfully persuasive" …in bed. Santana gulps. Two for two.

They fall into this natural position, and neither of them is even sure they can remember how they got here. Brittany's head finds Santana's lap and within moments their hands are intertwined in that loose way they always do. Neither of them is scared the other will let go. Not anymore.

Santana reaches out to tuck a piece of hair that escaped from Brittany's ponytail behind her ear. "Is what gonna be like this? The ending? Yeah, baby we've watched the movie a million times and they always nail the lift."

Dirty Dancing is Brittany's favorite movie. One time she convinced Santana to sneak off during summer camp and practice that famous lift down at the lake, just like in the movie. The water was freezing and their arms and legs were sore for days, but they finally got it. "So worth it" Britt would say. That was just before they got caught and had to clean the dining hall kitchen after hours for a week. They made out behind the dish racks. "So worth it" Santana would say.

"No, no" Britt laughs, "I mean you and me. We do this every week, we watch movies and eat and just lay here. I'm happiest here, doing nothing with you. Do you think it can always stay this way?"

Santana's heart skips and flutters at the question. She replays Brittany's words in her head "I'm happiest here." She realizes that there are so many things that have been hard about getting here. All the self-doubt, all the guilt. The only thing that has been easy was the falling. In fact it was so easy she didn't even feel it happening. It was before she had a chance to catch herself that she was staying up all night on the phone. Going to school early. Leaving late. Falling asleep thinking of her. Waking up the same way. The only thing that was easy was this. This love and this place she found herself in right now.

"I don't know B. I think that this stuff is what that people in love do. They do a whole lot of nothing together and it feels like the most important thing in the world. I mean… I plan on being in love with you for a long time, if that's what you're asking." Santana's voice trails off as she gets shy and a blush threatens to surface on her cheeks. She's never been the best at feelings but Brittany's always been the best at bringing them out in her.

"Oh yeah?" Brittany giggles airily and teases, "How long?"

Santana's tone suddenly becomes serious and the space between her eyebrows gets that crinkle in it like she's working something out in her head. She wrestles with the words, momentarily chewing at her bottom lip.

"Would it scare you if I said forever?"

Brittany realizes the change in her voice, the heaviness, and now she's not joking with Santana anymore.

"No San. Not at all. I think it would scare me if you didn't."


	2. My Things at Your Place

"Hey, so I, uh… I emptied out this drawer for you. Ya know, if you want to put some stuff in there I just thought it would be easier that way I guess…"

Santana's tapping her fingers on the black stained wood of her dresser drawers and nervousness is buzzing from her. It has been since Brittany strolled in, plopped down on the bed and throws out a "hey baby" mid-yawn. Sometimes it's so easy.

San had been giving this a lot of thought. She's not the best at telling Brittany how she feels all the time. And she'd always heard that actions speak louder than words. (Brittany argues that it really depends on who is reading the words.) There are some aspects of this little gesture that can't go unaddressed. For example: if Britt has a place to keep her things here, she won't have to borrow Santana's clothes all the time.

It was an unspoken thing between them. The clothes. One would lend them, the other would pretend to forget and "accidentally" take them home. Santana never wanted to remind Brittany. Turns out her clothes are a little to small for Britt in all the right places. (And okay, she likes that kind of old fashioned "goin' steady" idea of it.)

"So, like, what do you think?" Santana scrunches her nose up, waiting for a response from her girlfriend. She's about to dismiss the whole idea and play it off like she doesn't care half as much as she does.

"San, it's perfect," Brittany says in a kind of awe-filled whisper. It's the same tone she gets when her baby cousin wraps her little fist around her pointer finger at the last Pierce family cookout. Like she can't believe how beautifully things can turn out sometimes.

Brittany knows what this means. It's not San saying she thought it'd help her travel a little lighter, or do a little less laundry on Sundays. It's not San saying some of her clothes were out of season so there's a little extra space, take it or leave it. This is Santana saying

I want you around.

This room is the only place that's mine and I want to share it with you.

I want to come home to you.

Santana exhales and it's full of relief before she can take a moment to realize she should never have doubted this. It had taken a long time for her to understand that someone could love her the way Brittany does. The kind that's so sure and so comfortable that it doesn't take big declarations or grand gestures. Just a drawer.

Brittany smiles into a soft kiss and Santana winds her arms around her girlfriend's waist as they stand in front of her dresser beaming at each other and blushing shamelessly.

"You know I'm gonna fill it with socks so I can still steal all your cheer stuff, right?" Brittany giggles and Santana nods knowingly, grinning back at her. Brittany's hands are laced around the back of her neck, playing with the baby hairs that escaped from her ponytail. Santana knows that Britt has the exact same cheer sweats at home, and she also knows that Brittany could pick anything in her closet to wear. But more than anything, Santana knows that Brittany wants to wear the words "Lopez '12 Cheer Captain" embroidered over her heart. And Santana also kinda likes that those words might as well say "step off unless you want to swallow everyone of your teeth, she's taken."

The next morning Santana heads to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Brittany hasn't woken up yet and she likes to sneak off and hide her morning breath. She knows that it's not a secret but she loves that Brittany never calls her out. "You wake up so minty fresh San!" she'll say. (Okay, so maybe she knows.) When she opens the cabinet, she sees it lying right next to her toothbrush. Bubblegum toothpaste.

As slides back into bed next to Brittany, she sees her girlfriend's eyes flutter open while she stretches out over the length of the bed.

"Hi" she mutters cutely.

Santana smiles back at her and teases, "So you've moved into the bathroom too huh?"

Brittany looks up at Santana through her eyelashes as if to say, "I've been caught," but San's face reassures her. She shyly explains, "I know you like when I use bubblegum flavor the because you always kiss me a little extra." Sometimes it's so easy.


	3. Sit It Out or Dance

"San, come on you know it's not like that."

Santana had sat between Mrs. Pierce and Caroline at Brittany's ballet recital. Since the nine year old had been old enough to start going to her sister's performances, it had been Santana's job to keep her entertained. San had just been pretending to read Caroline's future from the lines on her palm when she glanced up to see her girlfriend take the stage.

Brittany's ballet performances have always been Santana's favorite. She thinks it's because the whole world can finally how elegant Brittany is, like a secret that Santana has kept to herself since the day they met is finally out in the open. (Sounds familiar.) Maybe it's the only time they really see it. Santana can't figure out how they miss the way she floats down the hallway or the way her shoulders fall back into perfect posture while she plays with her pen in Spanish class.

"B I trust you. It's him I don't trust." Santana knew that line by heart, she'd heard it more than enough times before and she would always rolled her eyes emphatically. Now she had used it without even noticing. She guesses that sounding like her grandmother is just one of those things that love makes you do.

"You know the lifts are tough San and I'm tall for ballet. He was just trying to make sure I didn't fall. Would you have liked me to land on my face in front of the whole auditorium?" Brittany asks rhetorically, not to argue, but just to make a point.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize that in this version of Swan Lake the evil curse was broken through extensive groping. And what kind of name is Chad? Is he a Wayne's World character?"

She's ranting now and it's one of those times when her mouth is moving too fast for her brain. She's not mad at Brittany. She's not even mad. She knows it's ridiculous to feel this way but if Santana is being honest with herself, she's jealous.

"Look, I can attest to your dancing making people reevaluate their sexuality. Just please don't act like I'm crazy for thinking it." Her voice softens like she's trying to make Brittany understand.

It's funny because Abuela has taken her to see the Nutcracker In Columbus every Christmas season and she's had to bite the inside of her cheeks to stay awake. But when Britt's dancing it's more a matter of remembering to blink. And breathe.

"Baby I don't think you're crazy, it's just that he's gayer than Kurt during fashion week." She pauses for a moment and then reiterates, "New York fashion week."

"Okay wait I'm not over this yet but pause for a second. How is the location of fashion week relevant to how gay he is?"

"Ya know, like sometimes European guys can get away with more because they're European. Like capris and stuff. There's some gray area there. But not with Chad. I'm telling you San, he's American capris gay."

One time Santana's parents had a brief revelation that they should spend more time with their kids. It didn't last for very long but Santana figures it's the though that counts right? And this thought, however fleeting it may have been, resulted in a family vacation to Spain. Cultural immersion, or whatever. Mrs. Lopez told both Santana and her brother that they could each bring one friend along on the trip. Well, that's what she told Ricky. She just asked Santana if Brittany preferred a window seat or an aisle seat on the plane. The trip was extra pleasant because it wasn't until about a week after that Brittany discovered San lied when she told her that siesta is Spanish for "sexytimes."

Anyways, moral of the story is that they played a game at every meal together called "Gay or European?" in which they'd try to make the right call on passersby. This is where Santana claims to have developed her outstanding gaydar. The only time the meter gets blurry is during those damn dance numbers. Then every male ballerina is very straight and feeling up on her girl.

"Britt I'm sorry, I know I'm being stupid. I just can't help it sometimes." Okay, time to come clean. "I guess… I'm kinda jealous of him."

"Sweetie I can promise you no one gets to touch me like you do. I don't think they could if they tried," Brittany smiles and winks, eliciting a little giggle for Santana and breaking her resolve. "Plus one time Chad and I had to share a dressing room and he was more terrified than Tubbs at bath time."

"No it's not that," Santana assures her with a faint laugh. "I just wish I could dance with you like that, ya know?" she asks shyly. "I want to be a part of that with you like he gets to be. I've never seen you so in your element as when you're dancing up there, and I don't know I just… I just wanna be there with you."

Santana worries Britt won't understand what she means, but after a moment she sees blue eyes soften on her and she knows it clicked. Brittany grabs both of her hands and holds then loosely between the two of them as they stand inches apart with their eyes locked on each other.

"First of all you have to know that you are _always _with me when I dance. It's about the only thing that's almost as close to my heart as you are. And sometimes when I practice for hours every day and I'm sore and tired and all I want to do is take a siesta, I think to myself 'San is gonna see this, it has to be perfect.'" Brittany rolls her eyes at herself because she knows when she gets sappy like this she loses her right to make fun of Santana when she does it too. She tries to add some humor to her tone, but it doesn't work because San can hear how much she means what she says next. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for my girlfriend to ask me to dance?"

Santana grins and says, "I'll do you one better. Your girlfriend is asking you to teach her to dance." Brittany squeals and does a little hop. Santana swears she'd say anything in the world if she could always make Britt feel this way. "It's gotta be something I can learn, nothing too crazy but I'll work hard at it. Oh and it has to be something sexy too. This whole teacher-student thing could get kinda hot." Best idea she's ever had.

"I don't think we'll have a problem making it hot, babe." Brittany laughs, and then her eyebrows raise as an idea comes to her. "I know exactly what we can do! What do you think about the tango?"


End file.
